Patience is proper Islamic response to Garland event

American extremists returned to media coverage this week by descending on Garland.

They wasted no time from their last plots of creating disorder, targeting major American cities like San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and New York City. Each attack on American minds went through without failure.

Of course, this is a reference to the Islamophobes who came to Texas to hold a contest about drawing Prophet Muhammad for a prize of $10,000. In response, two renegades drove to the event, opened fire and were killed by police.

This Islamophobic contest, like the anti-Islam ads that littered major cities over the past several years, is legal.

Yet, all is not lost. What is the antidote to such bigotry, and what is the proper Islamic response?

Far from the vulgar and false portrayal of Prophet Muhammad the Islamophobic contest attempted to legitimize, it is Prophet Muhammad himself who taught how to respond to hate directed at him.

Muhammad helped a lady who was leaving town because she heard there was a magician named Muhammad who cast spells on people.

When they reached her destination, she asked for his name. Muhammad replied that he was the same Muhammad she earlier feared.

After encountering Muhammad, her bigoted opinions changed.

According to extremists he should have attacked her the instant she made insulting remarks about him. Instead, Muhammad bore the insults with patience, setting a timeless precedent that all Muslims should continue to follow.

This also shows that if one is part of the 60 percent of Americans who do not know a Muslim and have a negative view of Islam, then they should meet a Muslim, like the aforementioned lady.